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NHL Trade: Los Angeles Kings Trade Jonathan Bernier to Toronto Maple Leafs

By Josh Hill

Apr 7, 2013; Anaheim, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Bernier (45) during the game against the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center. The Ducks defeated the Kings 4-3 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 7, 2013; Anaheim, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Bernier (45) during the game against the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center. The Ducks defeated the Kings 4-3 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 7, 2013; Anaheim, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Bernier (45) during the game against the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center. The Ducks defeated the Kings 4-3 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 7, 2013; Anaheim, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Bernier (45) during the game against the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center. The Ducks defeated the Kings 4-3 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

The Los Angeles Kings have an elite netminder in Jonathan Quick and his sketchy performance against the Chicago Blackhawks in the Western Conference Finals didn’t waver Los Angeles’ faith in him. But while Quick’s job is clearly safe, seeing as he’s a top-3 netminder in the NHL, that raised the question of what to do with backup and viable starter Jonathan Bernier.

It turns out the proper option for the Kings was to ship Bernier off to the Toronto Maple Leafs for a draft pick and two players.

The trade is a win-win for both sides as Bernier now has a chance to be the starter with a pretty talented team and the Kings got some nice pieces in return for a guy they had absolutely no use for. In exchange for Bernier, the Leafs sent forward Matt Frattin and netminder Ben Scrivens as well as Toronto’s choice of sending either a 2013 or 2014 second-round pick to Los Angeles.

Los Angeles’ acquisitions are strictly depths additions but they’re additions that come very cheap. According to ProHockeyTalk.com, the combined cap hit for both Frattin and Scrivens is around $1.5 million which is a fraction of the price the Leafs will pay to give Bernier a new contract.

For the Leafs, the acquisition of Bernier fills a gigantic hole the team was trying to fill right before the season started. There were rumors that the Leafs were trying to land Roberto Luongo but that never came to be and instead James Reimer started all season long and actually wasn’t as bad as people expected.

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